Chipotles

[foodie52]

So many products are flavored with chipotles. I'm pretty tired of that flavor. It got me to thinking about the wonderful peppers, fresh and dried, that we have here. What are your favorites? How do you use them?

I know that some chefs are crazy about guajillos right now.

Anyone make their own blends?

[fifi]

I agree that chipotle has been run into the ground. Our Fiesta stores here have a wonderful selection of dried peppers and the powders. I don't really make up blends but I will add different ones and taste as I go along. Currently (well, actually for a few years now) I am still hung up on anchos. I use pure ancho powder or rehydrated ancho paste on or in a lot of things. I will typically start with ancho as a base and then add others for heat or flavor. But I do need to venture out more.

[franktex]

I've lately been hooked on ancho & pasilla(ground, mainly) in everything. I made some ancho butter(great on steak, veggies, etc), and both ancho & pasilla coffee rub for meat.

[chefrodrigo]

Did you get tired of the canned type first? I can't stand the canned ones now but I still occasionally use the dried ones.

I'm a big fan of guajillos blended into chicken, beef, and pork stews and pasillas blended into lamb stews.

Rodney

[chefrodrigo]

I've lately been hooked on ancho & pasilla(ground, mainly) in everything. I made some ancho butter(great on steak, veggies, etc), and both ancho & pasilla coffee rub for meat.

Frank

that rub sounds interesting. how does the coffee stand up to the grilling?

[nessa]

Nope. I don't get tired of the chipotle flavor. I like the canned in adobo and the dried variety. I bought both yesterday.

[Suzanne F]

Didn't Samuel Johnson say, "if you are tired of chipotles, then you are tired of life"?

[Richard Kilgore]

I think having a McDonald's chain with your name on it would kill the appeal of almost any pepper. I use them, but use many others, too.

franktex -- mind explaining more about the coffee rub?

[foodie52]

I think it's just the prevalence, and the fact that I work in a grocery store. Here is what we have....

Raspberry Chipotle Sauce

Chipotle Ranch Dressing

Chipotle Aioli

Chipotle Oil

Chipotle Salsas ( lots of them )

Chipotle Hot Sauce

Chipotle Steak Sauce

Chocolate Chipotle Cookies

I'm sure there's more. With all the cool peppers in the world, I'd like to see more of a selection. There are a few ancho salsas, of course. Habanero stuff. Oh: by the way, if you haven't tried Austin Slow Burn Rosemary Habanero Jelly, you are missing out on one of the best things you could ever put in your mouth! And it's only $3.29 at CM. Try it over cream cheese, or on pork tenderloin...

[Mayhaw Man]

I think it's just the prevalence, and the fact that I work in a grocery store. Here is what we have....

Raspberry Chipotle Sauce

Chipotle Ranch Dressing

Chipotle Aioli

Chipotle Oil

Chipotle Salsas ( lots of them )

Chipotle Hot Sauce

Chipotle Steak Sauce

Chocolate Chipotle Cookies

I'm sure there's more. With all the cool peppers in the world, I'd like to see more of a selection. There are a few ancho salsas, of course. Habanero stuff. Oh: by the way, if you haven't tried Austin Slow Burn Rosemary Habanero Jelly, you are missing out on one of the best things you could ever put in your mouth! And it's only $3.29 at CM. Try it over cream cheese, or on pork tenderloin...

Your grocery store may not be typical. Most of us would not have that broad a choice of anything, much less chipotle items.

Don't you work at the Single Greatest Grocery Store in the History of the Western World?

[nessa]

I'm sure there's more. With all the cool peppers in the world, I'd like to see more of a selection. There are a few ancho salsas, of course. Habanero stuff. Oh: by the way, if you haven't tried Austin Slow Burn Rosemary Habanero Jelly, you are missing out on one of the best things you could ever put in your mouth! And it's only $3.29 at CM. Try it over cream cheese, or on pork tenderloin...

Oh my goodness. I used to import that stuff when I lived in Chicago. I can, have, and will eat it straight from the jar. My favorite way is on fresh, hot sourdough toast, slatherd first in butter then the habanero rosemary delight.

[franktex]

Chefrodrigo,

It stands up great to grilling, and adds another dimension to the flavor. While there's nothing like salt & ground black pepper for steaks, this is great on steaks too. Here's my version, but you can adjust to your liking.

Ancho Coffee Dry Rub

* ½ cup Salt

* ½ cup Brown sugar

* ¼ cup Ancho chili powder

* ¼ cup Espresso Grind Coffee (very fine grind)

* ¼ cup Granulated garlic

* ¼ cup Ground black pepper

[fifi]

Oh my, franktex. That does sound good. Could you put that into RecipeGullet. Pretty please?

I have a recipe that was originally from the Treebeards cookbook called "Aggie Brisket". It calls for seasoning the brisket pretty heavily but then using strong coffee for the braising liquid. (They use a double wrap of foil but I went to the Reynolds cooking bags pretty quickly.) I think the coffee component is a real plus with the beef.

[ExtraMSG]

Considering that chipotles are one of only a couple smoked chiles and the others are much less common, I think it's a bit expected. Also, remember there is more than one type of chipotle. GourmetSleuth.com has a decent little history/description.

Better than getting tired of chipotles, just get tired of their quirky and questionable uses. Overall, though, I think it's a good. If "chipotle" becomes a marketing gimmick that means that people are broadening their tastes and will be open to other Mexican flavors, hopefully.

If you watch Bobby Flay consistently, you might get tired of anchos, too, since it's apparently his favorite pepper and he puts it in everything along with honey.

Personally, I always have chipotles, both canned and dry on hand, along with guajillos, anchos, de arbol, and New Mexico. I don't keep any powders except paprika for coloring purposes.

I usually have Bufalo's chipotle sauce in my frig, too, along with Tabsco's green sauce. They can add a nice little flavor and heat to dressings or whatever if I'm making a SW salad, eg.

Don't hate a great ingredient because it's been co-opted.

And Mayhaw, Central Market is the second best grocery store in the history of the western world. The first is:

http://www.berkeleybowl.com/

[foodie52]

Didn't say I hate chipotles, just that I'm tired of them. I can't think of any food I hate. Food is a blessing and, unfortunately also a privilege in some parts of the world.

Yes, I work at Central Market. I've been told that Berkeley Bowl is like CM but on a smaller scale. And our customer service is better.

[nessa]

ExtraMSG,

what a great link!

When I bought my chipotles yesterday, at the Single Greatest Grocery Store in the History of the Western World aka Central Heaven, aka Central Market, they actually had a mix of the Chile ahumado and the Morita. I was puzzled, last time they had only the Morita, so I asked one of the employes what the difference was between the two. He could not tell me so I grabbed some of each.

I do know the Moritas are a real pain to grind, as they are very leathery. Last time I used them was in a chipotle-cheddar-pecan crisp and I had to soften them in hot buttah before attempting to grind. I found my new crack. Chipotle infused butter. *swoon*

[chefrodrigo]

There is a small city just outside of Xalapa in Veracruz called Xico. The town is pretty popular for making mole (mole de Xico) but they also make a chipotle paste that is almost like a chipotle mole. Its fantastic but, unfortunately, they don't send it across the border.

I was there with a friend several years ago and we each bought a case and lugged them around Veracruz for the rest of our trip. Every town we would stop in someone would always recognize the box and comment on our mole de Xico.

Rodney

[rancho_gordo]

Bless you , Foodie52, for bringing up this subject. You'd think this was the only pepper worth eating. I'm in the trenches in farmers markets and really hear what people are thinking and it's SCARY. Chipotles are one aspect of chiles, not the only thing or the best.

Guajillos are nice and fruity but it's not a particularly rich flavor. I think you'd want to mix it with something else. The raisiny ancho and fruity guajillo (4:1) are a nice mix. Cascabels are my current fave. They have a gorgeous nutty flavor and moderate heat. I also like deArbol- hot and flavorful.

The more I eat anchos, the more I realize they are king. A sauce of anchos is divine a chicken soup with lots of anchos is perfection. But you need good ones (like mine!!!!) that are fresh and pliable.

I like canned chipotles once in awhile but it is in fact a very overused flavor. And I think jalapenos, (which 99.9% of chipotles are made from) are a very stupid heat, like a kick in the mouth from a mule instead of a nice slow, searing burn from a more interesting chile.

[chefrodrigo]

Cascabels are my current fave. They have a gorgeous nutty flavor and moderate heat. I also like deArbol- hot and flavorful.

I totally forgot about cascabels. Thats a great chile.

[=Mark]

This will fix it all..

[ExtraMSG]

Foodie52, Berkelely Bowl has at least all the produce options that Central Market has, maybe more, I would say, but in smaller quantities so there's more turn over. Whenever I've been to CM, the quality of the produce was a mixed bag. At BB, it's all awesome. Probably a better selection of meats at CM, though. Although the many tuna grades at BB are impressive. I guess that's a Tx vs Ca thing.

Nessa, do you toast/roast the chiles first? It improves the flavor and makes them more pliable.

[nessa]

No, I never have. I got mostly the ahumados, and they seem a bit more crumbly than the moritas. I just might try toasting them this time, but I sure liked the butter..... Did I mention its crack-like properties? Perhaps I'll toast then soak in butter. I think the flavors dissolve well in the oil.

I can't see getting tired of the chipotle flavor. The crap that they pass off as chipotle flavored, isn't, to me, for the most part. Like that chipotle mayonaise.

But getting tired of chipotle is like getting tired of chocolate, or sesame flavor, for me. Perhaps if I had it every day or every week, I might tire? Nah. I know there are other chiles out there, and I also worship the Habanero. For some reason, some chiles really upset my stomach, and they seem to be the ones with the least heat. Like whatever goes into generic chile powder. Go figure?

But, I have yet to meet a chile that I didn't like.

[ExtraMSG]

Generic chile powder or generic chili powder? The latter probably has things like cumin and coriander as well.

[nessa]

Generic chile powder or generic chili powder? The latter probably has things like cumin and coriander as well.

Ok Chili powder. However I do just fine with cumin (another flavor I never get tired of) and corriander (ditto the cumin).

But I can't have chilI powder in something and not get ill afterwards.

Doesn't mean I don't still eat it, mind you!

[ExtraMSG]

But you do fine with normal ground chiles? Maybe you're allergic to MSG or something else in it.